Dear Saints of St. David’s:
We have lots going on this week, including some very exciting technology news.
Our parish Reopening Team met this week to continue discussions about our preparedness to open the church, and our requirement to file a reopening plan with the state and the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island before we proceed with in-person worship.
At this time, only officiants, readers, musicians, and AV volunteers are allowed in the sanctuary, and they must follow COVID-19 guidelines (wearing masks unless reading or singing, social distancing, sanitizing surfaces and objects after use) while participating in Morning Prayer.
Please email the office or contact me directly if you are interested in participating in an upcoming service, whether in person or via Zoom.
St. David’s Vestry also meets this week to review and discuss a number of topics, including our near-term plans for clergy. We continue to work with Canon Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew to call a part-time interim priest to serve at St. David’s for a time, with plans to begin the formal discernment process at some point in the future.
I am also pleased to report that two ongoing efforts to improve our online worship have recently been completed.
First, we have launched our new website: stdavidsonthehill.org
The website is a result of many hours of effort by a team of dedicated volunteers to align the church’s online content with our mission, and to ensure that St. David’s has a modern, professional, mobile-enabled platform to reach existing and new members of our parish family.
As part of the website project, we have new email accounts for the leadership and staff of St. David’s, which you will find listed on the website and which will be used for all future communications from the church.
Among the most exciting parts of this project is that our worship services can now be found directly on the new website — which leads to the second piece of tech news:
The new equipment installed in the sanctuary is ready to use starting this weekend, with Music Director Alan Cotnoir leading us in song.
This marks a major accomplishment for St. David’s, as we are now equipped to deliver online services, using technology purchased by the church, through our new website.
We’ll start livestreaming over the next few weeks, and will provide plenty of advanced notice to let you know when that will start.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank tech team members Jen Cowart, Joe Hutnak, Bob Souza, and Ben Sprows for their efforts and teamwork. They have done a remarkable job to bring the website from concept to reality and to coordinate the installation of the AV equipment in the church — all within barely two months of the Vestry’s votes to authorize these two projects. We also offer our gratitude to Rob Borkowski, web designer, for his work to build the new site and set up the new email system
On behalf of the vestry and staff, I also thank you, our parish family, for continuing your financial support of St. David’s through this very difficult time. We are truly blessed to have so many families and individuals who, despite the challenges they face, still find a way to make their contributions.
Please remember that you will find the only 100-percent accurate information about St. David’s through our website, Facebook page, eLamp, and email communications.
It is vitally important that our church family knows the facts about what is happening at St. David’s, and I ask that you refer anyone with questions to the information that is published by the church. I am also available by email at senior.warden@
Love and Blessings,
Linda Guest, Senior Warden
Prayer for Vocation in Daily WorkAlmighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen